Message from Superintendent Greer: May 31, 2022

Greetings CPS Community!

I hope you enjoyed the long weekend. I hope you took the time to rest and relax in the beautiful weather.

Last week, we shared some information about the new school-to-home communications platform we will launch in August across the district. ParentSqauare is a family-centered tool that will allow us to extend our reach and ensure key information is shared consistently. We are excited to share much more about the launch through June and over the summer.

Next Wednesday, June 8, Mayor Siddiqui and I will be participating in a panel discussion about equity in education. Hosted by the Cambridge Community Foundation, the event will be held at Starlight Square at 7 in the evening. We hope to see you there.

Thank you for your engagement and continued support.

Make it Great!

Dr. Victoria L. Greer
 

National Caribbean Heritage Month was first officially observed in 2006 after being unanimously adopted by the House of Representatives in 2005. It was sponsored by Congresswoman Barbara Lee and focused on recognizing the significance of Caribbean people and their descendants in the history and culture of the United States.

Caribbean-American, barrier-breaking public servants in the Biden Administration include Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, and Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice.

Pride Month started in 1970 at the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and is an opportunity to celebrate the identities, activism, and contributions of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Pride Month honors the legacy of queer and trans resistance, including the leadership of trans and gender nonconforming people of color throughout history, and their activism and commitment to making a more inclusive, affirming, and just world, including and especially for LGBTQIA+ people and other marginalized folks. During Pride Month, we celebrate the ancestors who paved the way and the beauty, complexity, and resilience of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration to honor the ending of enslavement in the United States. On June 19, 1865 in Galveston, Texas, General Gordon Granger issued General Order Number 3, declaring that the Emancipation Proclamation established freedom for all enslaved people—a full two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect. Freed people in Galveston began celebrating Juneteenth, and over time, celebrations spread throughout Texas and across the country by formerly enslaved people and their descendants. Juneteenth is now a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans.
 

The job of the next District Plan is to provide a clear and ambitious focus for the work we will do together over the next three years to drive district-wide improvements in student outcomes.

As I committed as part of my entry plan, we have done a lot of listening and learning about the areas of strength and needed improvement. As one educator said to us recently, “It is time to move beyond listening to the challenges. It’s time to document what you’ve already heard and learned, and put it into action.”

With that in mind, the three components of the District Plan are:

1. The Mission, Vision, and Core Values statements will describe our aspirations for the future and our commitments to each other.

Next Step: Following multiple stages of input from students and adults, we will share an updated version of the Mission, Vision, and Core Values as part of next Monday’s (June 6) community message and next Tuesday’s (June 7) School Committee meeting.

2. The Outcomes and Indicators will identify the student outcomes we seek to improve and the data we will use to measure our progress and improvement, based on the adopted Mission, Vision, and Core Values.

Next Step: Look for updates about the outcomes and indicators discussions that will be discussed at both the June 7 and June 21 School Committee meetings.

3. The Strategic Initiatives will identify the discrete areas of work we will focus on in the next three years to improve those Student Outcomes.

Next Step: We are recruiting members of our community - students, families, and staff - to join focused working groups that will, over the next two months, review existing data, findings, and commitments, and provide recommendations to the administration on strategic initiatives, including priorities, sequencing, conditions for success, and interdependencies.

Please consider joining by expressing your interest by Wednesday, June 8, 7PM.

Key Dates

• Wednesday, June 8: Deadline to express interest
• By Thursday, June 9: Working Groups finalized
• Monday, June 13: 9AM - 3PM: Meeting 1 (virtual)
• Thursday, June 30: 9AM - 3PM: Meeting 2 (virtual)
• Thursday, July 14: 9AM - 11AM: Meeting 3 (virtual)
• Tuesday, August 9: School Committee meeting to review

Note: Participants will be offered a stipend for participation. Participating educators will be supported with an SOA day. Questions? Contact [email protected].
 

CPS’ robust Summer Program offers students enriching learning experiences, while centering their health and well-being, cultivating relationships and prioritizing equity.

• Monday, July 11 to Friday, August 5.
• To learn more about the programs, click here.

The Department of Human Service Programs (DHSP) is accepting applications for their 2022-2023 Community Schools and Cambridge Youth Programs (CYP) Afterschool Program Lotteries!

• Programs run from September 2022 – June 2023. Program cost is based on family income
• Community Schools Afterschool Programs are open to Cambridge children entering Junior Kindergarten – 5th grade in September 2022. Learn more and apply – www.cambridgema.gov/CommunitySchools
• CYP Pre-Teen / Middle School Programs are open to Cambridge children entering 4th – 8th grade in September 2022. Tuition is free for middle schoolers! Learn more and apply – www.cambridgema.gov/cambridgeyouthprograms

This new timeline and lottery application process allows DHSP staff to let families know about their children’s afterschool placements in the beginning of summer, giving families more time to plan before school starts in September.

If you have questions, you can contact DHSP at 617-349-6200 or [email protected].
 

Registration for Fall Athletics will open tomorrow, June 1 and will close on Tuesday, August 16.

For more information, visit the Athletics website. To register for fall sports, click here.
 

Following ongoing discussions with the Cambridge Public Health Department and the Health, Safety, and Facilities Working Group, we continue to review and update our COVID protocols to reflect current conditions. As updates are made, we will notify the CPS community in a timely manner.

**Please note that these updates are subject to further changes as conditions evolve.**

Mask Advisory

Our mask advisory remains in place and we strongly encourage our entire school community to mask, particularly when we are indoors. Please note that we are NOT reinstating a requirement but advising mask use based on current data. We will continue to monitor the trends and make determinations based on the data and in collaboration with the Cambridge Public Health Department.
 

HSEP Creates Tobin-Inspired Amazonian Rainforest Experience!

High School Extension Program students in the course "Hacking Awesome'' have created an amazing, multi-sensory Amazonian Rainforest Experience on the 3rd floor of their building, which they share with the Tobin Montessori School and the CPS Science Department.

With a focus on "creating art for others'', Hacking Awesome students researched the CPS elementary science curriculum and gathered feedback from Tobin students on what type of art installation they would like to see come to life. The culmination of their work has resulted in a science meets art, interdisciplinary art installation for Tobin students to explore.

Are you proud of something happening in your school, classroom or program? Share your

Mayor Siddiqui and Superintendent Greer to Participate in CCF Equity in

Education Panel

Equity in education is a community responsibility. Join Mayor Siddiqui and Superintendent

Greer as they engage in this critical conversation with other education leaders from across

the state.

Wednesday, June 8 | 7PM

Starlight Square

Register for a free ticket
 

1st Ever Community Pride Day

The FIRST EVER CPS Community Pride Day will bring together Cambridge students, families, educators and community members to celebrate queerness, queer identities and the LGBTQIA+ community. Come celebrate pride with the Cambridge community!

Featuring:

• Special Guest: Ericka Hart
• Workshops for students grades 6-12
• Free LGBTQ books at book fair
• Snacks will be provided.
• Decorate a flag cookie

Friday, June 10 | 3:30 - 6:30PM

Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, 459 Broadway
 

Vassal Lane Presents Stories of Persecution and Perseverance

The 7th graders at the Vassal Lane Upper School invite you to attend a curriculum as a culmination to a

semester of research. Students will be performing original monologues as the people they have researched

during the Stories of Persecution and Perseverance unit of study.

Wednesday June 15 | 6:00 - 8:30PM

The event will be held at the school, located at 158 Spring Street.

*Student performances are scheduled throughout the evening. You are welcome to attend the event at any

time, for any length of time to catch performances.

CPS 2021-22 School Calendar

CPS 2022-23 School Calendar

All Schools and Admin Offices Closed:

• Monday, June 20 | Juneteenth (Observed)

Last Day of School-Early Release for All Grades

• Wednesday, June 29

2022-23 JK/K Registration: The lottery is closed for the 2022-23 school year; If you are interested in registering your child, visit our registration webpage for more information.

June Lunch Menu:Week 1 (May 31 - June 3)

COVID-19 Testing/At-Home Weekly Testing Forms: Log in to the Family Portal

Free Internet for Qualifying Families: Comcast’s Internet Essentials Program
 

Unified Track State Championship

Last week, CRLS students Graham Funck, Annalisse Gonzalez, Natanyon Kebede, Chidi Amenechi, Cal Lowenstein and Elizabeth Ashman competed in the Unified Track State Championship!

The Unified Sports program is a partnership between the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletics Association (MIAA) and Special Olympics that allows students with and without disabilities to compete together as a varsity level sport. We are incredibly proud of our students and coaches Eric Chase, Hunter Brochu and Kristina Jones, who lead this wonderful program! Way to go!